*By Carlo Versano*
Google is "missing an opportunity" by not sending a top official to Capitol Hill next week to testify on election interference and censorship, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin on Wednesday.
Facebook and Twitter are both sending C-Suite executives ー COO Sheryl Sandberg and CEO Jack Dorsey, respectively ー to testify in front of both chambers on Sept. 5.
So far, Google has said it will only dispatch its general counsel, Kent Walker.
"We need policy makers, not simply their lawyers," Warner said.
The heads of the top social and web platforms will head to the Hill to answer questions about how they are combating misinformation campaigns from state actors like Russia and Iran ahead of the midterm elections. Additionally, they are expected to face pointed questions about censorship ー a topic that President Trump has been pushing, most recently on Wednesday afternoon when he told reporters, "I think they treat Republicans and conservatives very unfairly" and such handling "may not be legal."
That echoes the sentiment of several Trump tweets Tuesday which suggested that Google News technology suppressed conservative views. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the White House would look into the matter, but many questioned Trump's statements on their face.
"The president doesn't really understand how search algorithms work," Warner said, noting that content is ranked in searches as a result of computer calculations, not human action.
The last time officials from Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified together ー last November on the topic of Russian hacking ー the reaction from lawmakers was largely negative. Since then, each company has shown a more proactive approach to the policing of their platforms.
Warner said he hopes next week's hearings will be forward-looking. "We want to look at solution sets" for these complex problems, he said.
About 678,000 jobs were created in February, hundreds of thousands more than predicted, according to the latest Labor Department report, showing a broad economic recovery despite inflation woes. Heather Boushey, member of the Council of Economic Advisers for President Biden, joined Cheddar News to talk about the employment figures. "This really shows that the economy is now more resilient because of the tools that we have in place," Boushey said. "So I'm optimistic that we'll be able to weather future storms."
Ramit Varma, Independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, joins Cheddar News to discuss the race and how he plans to tackle critical issues in the California city.
Tyler Pager, White House reporter at the Washington Post, and Reecie Colbert, founder of BlackWomenViews Media, join Cheddar Politics to discuss President Biden's Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. They break down how her nomination came to be and what comes next in her confirmation process.
Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant at Secretary of State & president of the Washington Strategy Group, joins Cheddar News to break down the latest between Russia and Ukraine.
Nicole Goodkind, business and politics reporter at Fortune Magazine, joins Cheddar Politics to break down President Biden's first State of the Union address.
Londoners are facing travel chaos after around 10,000 transport workers walked off their jobs for the second day this week, leaving almost all of the capital’s subway lines suspended or severely disrupted.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney joined Cheddar News after President Biden's State of the Union address to give her reaction and talk about the situation in Ukraine.
UN and Ukrainian officials say no radiation was released from a Russian attack at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant in Ukraine and firefighters have extinguished a blaze at the facility..
Liz Landers Chief Political Correspondent at Vice News, breaks down the President's address including his stance on the Russian invasion and spotlights historic moments during his speech.
Markets opened higher on Thursday despite ongoing uncertainty amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. John Petrides, Portfolio Manager, Tocqueville Asset Management joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss early market activity.
